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    Al Mercante

    3.7 (32 reviews)
    PriceyItalian, Seafood
    Closed 12:00 pm - 2:30 PM, 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM

    Al Mercante Photos

    AL MERCANTE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Upscale
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Al Mercante

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    Bone marrow Risotto
    Mengxue C.

    The waiting staff is okay, can lack of attentiveness at times. Their bone marrow risotto is too good, a must try! Creamy rice with their special sauce. Pasta with mixed seafood is yum also. Price is reasonable.

    Waiters and owners keeping watch
    Jim R.

    Such a well run restaurant with such great service! We made a reservation a few days ahead via email and were seated at a wonderful table on the airy piazza outside the restaurant. We were greeted by one of the owners (several siblings) who helped us with the menu and assisted in our selecting a wonderful wine from the local region that was only 30€ (easily $100 or more in the states for the quality)-so good- and as wine people we know. While our waiter spoke no English, we were able to manage ok. Having learned from previous trips to Italy that it's easy to over order, we split three courses-creamy burratta with fresh flavorful tomatoes and arugula, a pasta course with ricotta and pesto and finally a baked snapper with fresh tomato sauce. All the food was beautifully prepared, flavorful and fresh tasting. On top of the fantastic food, one of the things making this place special are the staff-what a delight to have such well-trained and attentive staff watching over you. In fact they were literally standing at attention keeping an eye on things as were the owners while we sat in the piazza enjoying our food. WE finished up with an icy cold limoncello that was only 2.50 for a shot another bargain. At around 90€ including the amazing wine and fabulous service, our meal was a delight. Highly recommended

    Kevin L.

    'Mmm. Ohhhhh, yes! Oh, god, that is -so- good... I really don't want it to end.' ^--- Pretty much the words spoken by me upon consuming the massive plate of lardo here. Good thing we got it as a starter to share between two, because that stuff isn't light on the love handles. Not to be outdone by the foodgasmic fat, my osso bucco with risotto milanese (both drowned in a decadent wine sauce) was a superb recommendation. In fact, it was the primary reason we came to Ristorante Al Mercante: it fulfilled the role of a full-on proper Milanese cuisine meal, virtually from start to finish. In fact, I think the only thing that wasn't exceptionally local was the (absurdly massive) cheese plate. My dining companion explained that the cheeses came from all over the country, from north to south. If you want an explanation about regional cheeses, you'll have to ask her. As a proper cloth napkin pseudo-haute cuisine dinner destination, Al Mercante is definitely worth a visit, especially if you're playing tourist about Milano's city centre.

    Octopus Salad
    Yuko H.

    Only a block away from Duomo area, this place is perfect after enjoying nice architecture of Piazza del Duomo ("Cathedral Square"). When we visited, it just rained, they didn't have patio seating available but I was told it is so enjoyable to sit at the patio. They have English menu available and staff spoke good English. Everyone was so friendly, they made our dining experience so enjoyable. They have good selection of wine, our table enjoyed both red and white wine from the area. We started with several appetizer, everything I ate was very good. If I have to pick my favorite, I think it will be octopus salad. For main dish, I enjoyed veal with mushrooms. Sauce used for this dish, I can't remember the name anymore, blended well with veal and mushrooms. We also enjoyed our desert. I had a bite from everyone and all of them were good including my tiramisu. We ended our dinner with Limoncello. Perfect way to finish Italian meal. Great location, good food, friendly service, I recommend this restaurant for nice dinner

    Wonderful veal milanaise
    Kate F.

    I was pretty happy with this choice. First, I enjoyed the outside courtyard seating. Second, my veal was really really good. Third, one of the guys bust out with some opera singing for his table (he even brought speakers and a mic). He was good - and it added to the entertainment for the evening. I would absolutely stop here again.

    Veal ravioli with black truffles.
    Ian F.

    Wonderful spot right off the duomo. I loved the salads, the veal ravioli, and the snapper with olive and tomato sauce. Another level of taste and service at the same prices as almost all the area restaurants. Fantastic service, explained many dishes to me in English, as well as a changing daily menu.

    Pizza diavolo

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    13 years ago

    One of the most enjoyable meals in Milan. Found this place via coworkers who live here. Fabulous food and super friendly staff :)

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    9 years ago

    Excellent food and great service. I will make sure to come here next time I'm in Milan.

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    Al Mercante Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Al Mercante

    Only a block away from Duomo area, this place is perfect after enjoying nice architecture of Piazza del Duomo ("Cathedral Square").

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Fishbar de Milan - Unopened

    Fishbar de Milan

    4.8(10 reviews)
    1.2 kmMoscova

    Fushbar de Milan - walked 15 minutes from Duomo. I had it marked on my Yelp page to visit and here…read morewe are. Not too many seafood restaurants and this place fit the bill. Thanks Yelpies for the nice photos. We opted to sit at the patio by the street. They made it little better by putting a facade between the street and the sidewalk. No smokers but that didn't last long. In Italy, outside seating means someone will be smoking next to you. Guaranteed. When we got here, thr waiter started shaking his head when I said no reservation. After conferring with another waiter, we got seated and things started rolling. Bread was brought out and asked for bottled water. To my surprise, cuperto was free and Pellagrino was only €3.50 Chilled vino bianco was delicious with the two items we shared. I got the grilled octopus served on top of the mashed potatoes. (POLPO CROCCANTE Purè, pomodorini semi dry, paté di olive nere) It was a large serving and grilled to perfection. The fish soup (ZUPPA DI PESCE Pomodoro, calamari, polipetti, seppie, gamberi, cozze, vongole, crostini di pane) had flavor that I wasn't use to. Salty, thick soup base? Definitely better to dip with scarpetta. Wasn't happy that one clam and one mussels didn't open up. Our waiter were on top of everything till we were ready to go. Guy next to us rolled a cigarette and started smoking and I was ready to roll out of there. Took while to get the bill after repeatedly asking for it. Overall, we only scratched the surface and love to come back and spend exploring other items like raw fish platers. Inside!

    Good: staff super friendly, accommodating; crispy octopus - easily one of the best octopus dishes…read moreI've ever tried Not so good: the marinated anchovies appetizer is a half-opened tin of anchovies, a few pads of butter, and triangles of white toast, and it's 21EUR; when it arrived, it almost felt like someone was pranking me. It made me feel bad that I was spending so much money on a tin of anchovies. I ate it and didn't complain as that's not in my nature. Charging this much for someone to crack open a tin of fish is wild. It's such a shame about the anchovies, but the crispy octopus was good. Be forewarned when you see "marinated anchovies" on the menu, and just know you're just getting a cracked open tin of anchovies.

    Photos
    Fishbar de Milan - Interior

    Interior

    Fishbar de Milan - Coperto - no charge

    Coperto - no charge

    Fishbar de Milan

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    Papà Francesco - Spaghetti ai frutti di mare

    Papà Francesco

    4.1(142 reviews)
    0.3 kmCentro Storico
    €€€

    I literally wrote 4 paragraphs and Yelp glitched and deleted my draft…read more Please make sure to ask them to charge you in Euros because we didn't get the option by the owner and he charged us in USD which costs us more. He's been in business for 44 years so obviously he knows but still charged us in USD which is kinda shady IMO. We decided to dine here due to all the reviews and photos posted. When we approached the restaurant, the owner immediately said "Ni Hao" which I thought was kinda racist. What if I wasn't Chinese? Mink felt offended but we committed to dining there so we did. He asked if we wanted to dine inside or outside. Since it was chilly for Mink, we opted to dine inside where it was 90% full due to a Chinese tour group. They all had the same dish so we figured preset menu for them. I wasn't sure what I was going to get but since they all ate the Ossobuco con risotto alla Milanese in Crosta, I decided to order that as it was one of the dishes I was considering. Mink ordered their Spaghetti ai frutti di mare. I'm not sure why but the owner exclusively took care of us. He also made it a point to bring a photo over of Jay Chow saying he's dined there 4-5 times in the last few years. Maybe that's why the Chinese tour group eats there? He was arrogant enough to brag about how much money he's made because of Jay Chow. There were lots of celebrities that dined there from what gathered looking at his wall of fame. I bet he didn't charge any of them in USD *smh* The Ossobuco con risotto alla Milanese in Crosta was really good and probably the best we had in Milan. They must be able to make this dish with their eyes closed at this point with the daily Chinese tour groups dining there. Their Spaghetti ai frutti di mare was decent but didn't have as much seafood in the dish as other restaurants and the flavor was about average. The bread and EVOO offered was legit though! I loved it and I normally hardly ever eat the complimentary bread. Food is good overall and customer service felt extra. If we didn't get charged USD, wasn't getting bragged to about how much money he made off Jay Chow and wasn't greeted with a "Ni Hao" then the place is 4 stars. Since all that did happened, 2.5 stars.

    What an amazing experience- authentic in every way- if you want a real good meal in Milan - go…read morehere!!!

    Photos
    Papà Francesco
    Papà Francesco - Ossobuco con risotto alla Milanese in Crosta

    Ossobuco con risotto alla Milanese in Crosta

    Papà Francesco - Papa Francesco himself. The perfect choice for an authentic Italian meal.

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    Papa Francesco himself. The perfect choice for an authentic Italian meal.

    Nerino Dieci - Pasta with seafood

    Nerino Dieci

    4.5(87 reviews)
    0.5 kmCentro Storico
    €€

    Wow. Just wow. Best spaghetti ever. It was prepared right at our table in a huge cheese wheel with…read morebasil, cherry tomatoes and was so rich and delicious! Had their house red (medium finish), Dieci Monferrato Rosso, for about 10euro - you cannot beat this. Guests drank the whole bottle and literally ran a marathon the next day. This was delicious with our pasta and would go perfectly with any meats. Amazing and perfect meal in Milan! The service was impeccable and staff was super kind.

    Since Mink did such a good job picking a restaurant for dinner, I asked her to pick a restaurant…read morefor lunch the next day while I explored around Parco Sempione. She found Nerino Dieci but they were about to close for lunch so we rushed over. We got there with time to spare. The bartender greeted us right away and asked if we had reservations. We didn't so we stood in line to be seated with everyone who didn't have reservations. The place was full! When you enter, you immediately see their bar area. To your left, as you face the dining area, you see the grilling area. It's very clean and organized! It didn't take too long to be seated and we were happy they could take us so close to closing. We were provided English menus. Since we had time to check out their offerings online while we waited for a table, we had screenshots of what we wanted. It was a little hard to find the corresponding menu item with the screenshots at first. Our server came over and took our order when we looked confident with what we wanted to order. Just to be safe, we also shared photos to minimize errors. We ordered a Tagliolini with Clams and Spicy Salami, Tonnarelli with Cheeses, Pepper and Bacon, Milanese Veal Cutlet with Rocket and Cherry Tomatoes, Natural Microfiltered Draft Water and a Glass of House Red Wine. Our server asked how we wanted the food to come out and we said all together. It didn't take the bar long to get our drinks to us. After some conversation, our food arrived and it looked amazing! The Tagliolini with Clams and Spicy Salami along with the Milanese Veal Cutlet with Rocket and Cherry Tomatoes arrived first. Minutes later, the Tonnarelli with Cheeses, Pepper and Bacon arrived. The clams in Mink's dish were very tasty and the pasta had a slight kick to it through its sauce. We both really enjoyed the cutlet and completely finished it. It was huge so that surprised us that we finished the plate. The Cacio e Pepe was very cheesy and rich. It was really good but heavy. The food is delicious here and we can see why they have earned so many good reviews. Good customer service from the entire staff and they work nonstop due to how busy they are with the lunch rush. Another awesome find by Mink.

    Photos
    Nerino Dieci - Love how they used this baby's high chair as a ice bucket holder, lol

    Love how they used this baby's high chair as a ice bucket holder, lol

    Nerino Dieci - Milanese Veal Cutlet with Rocket and Cherry Tomatoes

    Milanese Veal Cutlet with Rocket and Cherry Tomatoes

    Nerino Dieci - Fireplace

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    Fireplace

    Al Mercante - italian - Updated May 2026

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